On Biblical Complementarianism

We have been debating this issue for far too long. It is gnawing at our convention and dominating our every conversation. The issue is simple: the role of women in ministry.

First, allow me to make this abundantly clear: women are gifted to serve within the body of Christ. They are talented and uniquely crafted for needed roles in the church. They are in no way, shape, or form excluded from ministry in the local church.

But the local church has certain directives and mandates; and those mandates come from God in His Word. If God was silent on this matter, nobody would care. If God had not given us instructions on the leadership of His church, there would be no debate on the subject. But God is not silent on it, and His instructions are rather clear. As is written in 1 Timothy 3:2, a pastor must be the “husband of one wife.”

Now, to address an elephant in the room: I am not yet married myself. But my soon-to-be wife will be my first one, and I will vow to her that she will be my only one. This qualification given in Scripture speaks to a man’s faithfulness to his home and to his family. But the main point in writing this blog is that this qualification could not be clearer regarding the gender of the one holding the pastoral office - a husband is a man. (Yes, even in the year 2026, in the middle of “pride month,” no matter how many theological gymnastics you perform, a husband is still a man.)

There are other portions of Scripture that speak to this issue, though admittedly not with as much clarity. In the same letter, Paul instructs Timothy "I do not allow a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.” This passage is sometimes explained away by some who argue that Paul was writing into a specific church within a specific culture dealing with a specific problem. And, to some extent, he was. But we have to determine whether Paul was writing a prescription for one local church or for every local church. In making that determination, we put to use one of the most vital tools of hermeneutics - we allow the clearer passages of Scripture to interpret the less clear. So is Paul writing to one church or every church? It may be unclear immediately, but when coupled with his clarity on the qualification of pastors, it becomes more clear.

Paul does not mean that women have to literally sit on their hands with tape over their mouths. That would be cruel and unkind. Paul is telling Timothy, as his mentor, that the role of teaching and exercising biblical authority within the church belongs to biblically qualified men.

We have debated this issue too long, and we are at a crossroads. We must get this right. Every denomination that has caved on this issue has eventually caved to the more serious, sinister ideologies of our day. We are naive to think that we won’t be the next if we fail to stand our ground. At the upcoming Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Orlando, we will be debating both a motion to amend the constitution that would settle this, as well as a resolution that affirms that the office of pastor is reserved for biblically qualified men.

Pray for me, for Pastor Sebastion, and the other conservative pastors who will be in attendance. Pray for Willy Rice, who I am excited to vote for as SBC president, and for Josh Powell, the other candidate for the presidency, that they will lead with biblical faithfulness no matter who wins. Pray for Dr. Albert Mohler, who will be bringing the aforementioned amendment to the floor. Pray for the resolutions committee as they bring the resolution on pastoral qualifications. And pray that we can put this issue behind us once and for all and get back to what really matters - the spreading of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.